Imagine being suddenly rocketed back to the days of spacehoppers, Choppers and white dog plop. This is the reality faced by 21st century Manchester detective Sam Tyler who, after a near-fatal car accident, wakes to find himself in 1973. Not knowing if this is a dream or some kind of madness, Sam struggles to understand what is happening to him.

A return to the world he knows seems impossible, so Sam falls back on what he knows best - his job. Each episode features a different case, with the archaic police procedures of the day hindering all Sam's attempts to solve them. Furthermore, his 1973 colleagues are booze-swilling, politically incorrect hard men, who would rather put the boot in and ask questions later.

Sam's new chief is old-school copper Gene Hunt the antithesis of everything Sam believes in. He uses his fists and his gut instinct to get results, with most of the station, including detective Ray Carling, following his lead and slow to respect Sam's new-fangled ideas.

The only people to sympathise with him are, Annie Cartwright, an educated and open-minded PC willing to listen to Sam's baffling array of problems and detective Chris Skelton, who, despite being clueless, has a soft spot for Tyler.

How can Sam get home to the future and who holds the key to this mystery? Watch Life On Mars to find out.